Cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases are inextricably linked and are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States, especially in Mississippi which has the highest prevalence in the nation of these diseases. These disorders usually cluster together and are highly interdependent. Obesity and associated metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, are major causes of cardiovascular and renal disease. Abnormal kidney function is an important cause as well as a consequence of hypertension, a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such coronary artery disease and stroke. Understanding the complex relationships among cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic disorders and developing new therapeutic approaches requires a paradigm shift in research that incorporates multidisciplinary integrated approaches, combining the efforts of basic, clinical and population scientists. A major objective of this proposal is to develop an internationally recognized Cardiorenal and Metabolic Diseases Research Center (CMDRC) that brings together a multidisciplinary group of basic, clinical and population scientists working on a common synergistic theme, and to facilitate their collaborations. The specific aims are: 1) To develop infrastructure and core facilities that foster excellence in basic, clinical, and population research in cardiorenal and metabolic diseases and increase competitiveness of junior investigators for independent funding from NIH and other national biomedical research programs.; 2) To develop mentoring and education programs and research support for promising junior investigators so that they can become productive, independent investigators who can successfully compete for NIH funding; 3) To achieve the specific aims of the research projects described by the junior investigators in this proposal, and to foster their career development; 4) To develop a pipeline of diverse predoctoral graduate students, medical students and postdoctoral fellows trained in cutting edge cardiorenal and metabolic diseases research so they become the next generation of researchers in this field; major emphasis will be placed on recruiting and mentoring underrepresented minority investigators through partnerships with local minority institutions; 5) To enhance collaborations and interactions among established investigators from multiple disciplines in cardiorenal and metabolic diseases at UMMC, as well as with external partners; 6) To strengthen cardiorenal and metabolic disease research at UMMC by recruiting new faculty with expertise in clinical and translational research and in emerging technologies, such as in vivo imaging, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and systems analysis.